Aston Villa standout moments as Champions League is reached and individuals shine throughout
As Aston Villa achieved their goal of returning to Europe’s most elite of competitions for next campaign, A look at some of their defining moments to reach the feat as they hope to build on their season and continue to compete at the very top.
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00:00 Charlie, on to Aston Villa now, looking across their season as a whole. It's been their best
00:05 top flight season in a number of years. They've reached some fantastic heights under Unai
00:10 Emery and also getting him to sign that contract as well. So, looking back over this magnificent
00:17 season, this magnificent run they've had, what are the standout moments for you covering
00:23 Aston Villa and being involved at the club?
00:26 It's been so many. It's hard to pinpoint just one really. You can talk about Europe and
00:31 how it started away at Hibernian, a thrashing 5-0 win over it in Edinburgh to start that
00:37 campaign and then all the group matches, the trips across the continent. League Year Warsaw
00:42 was a fun one, AZ Alkmaar, you had Ajax as well. Obviously, that was a 0-0 draw away
00:47 from home but then winning comfortably at Villa Park against the European giants of
00:51 Ajax, what an impressive performance that was. What a night that was under the lights.
00:56 Just seeing all the fireworks, the European nights back at Villa Park I think were so
01:00 impressive. Back in the Premier League, beating Brighton Over Albion 6-1 at the start of
01:04 the season kind of set the tone for what should be an impressive year. I'm a Brighton fan
01:08 myself, that wasn't a very fun one in the press box myself but for Villa, just the hat-trick
01:14 for Ollie Watkins, going forward the likes of Moussa Diaby, Leon Bailey, so, so impressive
01:19 and they've carried that on throughout the season. But the two 1-0 wins over Arsenal
01:24 and Manchester City in the same week in December, I think that's when people started to really
01:29 take the club seriously. At that point, there was actually a chance to go top at Christmas,
01:33 they failed to do that and then of course they lost the lead away at Manchester United
01:37 on Boxing Day, that could have got them to the top of the Premier League, they failed
01:41 to do that. But I don't think they were ever real title contenders because they just didn't
01:45 have the longevity and the injuries of course didn't help. But that's when people started
01:49 to properly think, 'OK, Villa could get in the Champions League here and now with one
01:53 game to go, they could genuinely do it.'
01:56 Multiple other players who've played into that fantastic attack and have been really
02:00 solid at the back as well, all round. What do you think the key to that has been? Is
02:05 it just the Unai Emery way of making sure that everywhere is so good and so consistent
02:10 throughout the entire season?
02:12 I think he hit the nail on the head really. It's Emery's consistency and his structure
02:17 and it's tempting sometimes to be a bit versatile with your tactics and changing formations
02:22 etc but it's rare that Emery does that. He only does it if he's forced to with injuries
02:26 and he's had quite a few to say the least. I think a lot of talk has been about the likes
02:30 of Man United and Newcastle and Chelsea with their injuries but Villa have been really hurt
02:35 by it as well. Losing Tyrow Mings and Emi Buendia at the start of the season, two key
02:40 players was not ideal. Jacob Ramsey as well, Bupukar Kamara out for the rest of the season.
02:46 These are very important players, starting players so to lose them and still be in a
02:51 top four battle, let alone finishing in it, is so, so impressive and that's down to Emery,
02:56 his tactics, his consistency and his belief in his players and his squad.